All In One Word
by Thn0715
Summary: One word can explain everything. Why they work so hard. Why they are so passionate. For each member, it can all be summed up in just one word. As usual, I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.
1. Determination

**A/N: Hello again my friends! This is an idea I had a while back that I couldn't get out of my head. What if one word could explain why each member of the BAU's most elite team does the things they do? What makes them work so hard? Well...why don't I just let them tell you. A very special thanks to TN, my Hotch Twin, for reading over everything for me and giving me some great advice! Thank you so much!!!  
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_**DETERMINATION**_

I remember a conversation I had with Hotch once. He said, "my life matters to me and I have, and always will, entrust you with it. Would you do the same for me?" I couldn't answer him. That's when it hit me that he was right. I don't truly trust anyone. I'm trying. Lord knows I'm trying. But it's hard. When you are betrayed by the man you trust most in the world, when he abuses you and takes away everything innocent inside of you, it makes trusting people seem like a foreign concept.

I was determined to not let the events of my past cloud my future. I refused to become some stereotypical gang-banger like Rodney Harris. It was that determination that kept me off the streets and led me to the ranks of Chicago PD, and eventually the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. It is still that determination that makes me so passionate to protect others, especially the kids. It is what makes me seethe with anger when our cases involve the horrible things people do to children. The children are the innocents. They deserve every ounce of my determination and my passion. And their abusers will feel every ounce of my determination and my anger. I can't allow what happened to me to happen to them. The more of these monsters I can pull off the streets, the better. And maybe, just maybe, I'll learn to trust someone along the way.

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_Supervisory Special Agent_

_Derek Morgan_


	2. Drive

**A/N: Hi again! Just wanted to say a quick thank you to all who have reviewed/favorited/alerted this little story. I guess really it's more of a character study than a story. Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy!**

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_**DRIVE**_

I hate politics. I've been surrounded by it my whole life. That was my mother's chosen profession. I swore I would never play those games. It developed a drive within me to be my own person. I was going to do things my way, on my own, without relying on being the daughter of Ambassador Prentiss. And I did. I worked my way up through the ranks. I worked harder than I ever had in my life. And I made it to my ultimate destination…the BAU.

I should have known something was off when I arrived that first day and Agent Hotchner had no idea I would be joining his unit. I chalked it up to simple lack of communication between superiors and subordinates. Finally he let his guard down ever so slightly and gave me a chance. And his team gave me a chance. So you can imagine how guilty, angry, upset, and twisted up inside I felt when I discovered I was a plant. A plant! As hard as I fought to stay away from the politics, there I was being used as Erin Strauss' political pawn to bring down arguably the best Unit Chief in the FBI. So I did the only thing I could think to do to show them that I wouldn't be anyone's pawn…I quit.

Luckily Hotch saw right through my lame excuse for resigning and pulled me back in. He knew exactly what Strauss was up to and he wasn't going to let her get away with it any more than I would. Whenever I feel myself starting to waver, or wear down after a difficult case, or think for even the slightest millisecond that maybe I shouldn't be doing this job anymore, I think back to that. And it drives me even more to keep going. It drives me to show them all that I deserve to be here. It drives me to prove to Strauss that she's not the only one who knows that game.

She tried to play that game with me…I won. I guess growing up around the politics wasn't such a bad thing after all.

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_Supervisory Special Agent_

_Emily Prentiss_


	3. Knowledge

**A/N: Hello once again. Just a little note... this is the one I had the most difficulty with. I have trouble relating to Reid and trying to write him in a believable way is something I really struggle with. So a very special thanks to WrenWing (aka TN... my Hotch Twin!) for reading over this section and giving me a bit of advice on how to make it better/stronger. And thanks once again to all who have reviewed/favorited/alerted! You are all awesome! Enjoy...**

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_**KNOWLEDGE **_

Knowledge is power. I've heard that my entire life. Having the right knowledge will take you anywhere. It has saved my life so many times. It got me beaten up a lot as a kid, but earned me three PhD's and got me to the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.

It has also brought me fear.

I told Garcia that I know what it's like to be afraid of your own mind. Always knowing the probability of any particular outcome to any given situation. Like the likelihood of survival of missing children depending on how long they've been missing. That's a hard one to put out of your mind. There is a good side to having a mind like mine. I see things the others don't. I can find the hidden meanings behind a killer's codes. I see the significance in the smallest, seemingly insignificant details of their crimes. It makes me good at my job. It makes me a valuable asset to the BAU. It takes some of the pressures off of the others so they can focus on the parts they each do best.

But I also know I have to use this knowledge as quickly as I can while I still have control of my own mind. My mother has schizophrenia. It is a hereditary psychological disorder. I told Garcia that, too. I know the probabilities. I know the statistics. I know at some point in my life Dr. Spencer Reid may cease to exist and someone I do not know or recognize may be processing my thoughts and making my decisions. What I don't know is when. That's what frightens me the most. Not having the knowledge to answer that question. I have to help as many people as possible while I still have the ability, because it could be taken away in an instant.

Now…if I could only figure out girls.

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_Supervisory Special Agent_

_Dr. Spencer Reid_


	4. Compassion

**A/N: Hello again! Thanks so much for all the reviews! Glad you are all enjoying this. I actually had a bit of trouble with this section as well. It surprised me a bit, actually. I usually have a fairly easy time writing JJ. So special thanks to WrenWing and Falcon-121 for looking this one over and giving me a few tips. You guys rock!**

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_**COMPASSION**_

It's a good feeling to know that I can be the person grieving families can come to and lean on. I can show emotion, empathy, sympathy, and most importantly, compassion when the others can't. I'm the one who doesn't have to be 100% agent all the time. Oh, believe me, I can turn Agent Jareau back on in a heartbeat when I need to. Especially when the press starts smelling fresh blood. Those bloodthirsty vampires want a shot at one of those families? They have to go through me first.

Of course, I've picked up on some profiling techniques. You can't work with this team and not learn a bit of what they do. It helps when I have to make decisions regarding which cases we take. That decision is always the hardest part of my job. I am constantly afraid that I've made the wrong choice. That is, until we get to our destination. That's when I meet the overworked, underpaid, exhausted police captain who is out of ideas as to how to stop the monster that is loose in his city. Or when I come face to face with the victims' families. Those who have already lost their loved ones and those who are looking for the smallest ray of hopeful light to break through their worst nightmares. They are counting on our team to live up to their reputation, and they are counting on me to be their rock, their support system when they have nowhere else to turn. I am honored to be that for them. I am honored to protect them from the press. I am honored to share in their joy when their missing loved one is returned home. And as hard and upsetting as it is, I am honored to be the shoulder they cry on when the news is its darkest.

These families need compassion. It is because of them that I never took the classes to become a profiler. I have enough profiling ability to contribute to the investigations from time to time. But someone has to be able to stop being the agent and quite simply be human. I am more than willing for that agent to be me.

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_Supervisory Special Agent _

_Media Liaison  
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_Jennifer Jareau_


	5. Closure

**A/N: Hello once again my friends. I can't believe all the reviews this has gotten. You guys make me blush! I'm very honored that you are all enjoying this as much as I have. Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement! And now... **

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_**CLOSURE **_

I'll admit it. I had an ulterior motive for returning to the BAU. I knew with Gideon gone, there was an open position. That was my chance to get back in and finally be able to put to rest the one case that had haunted my nightmares for the past 21 years. I thought when I retired that I could let it go. But that only made the nightmares worse. So I took the opportunity to get back in, to take advantage of the new technologies made available to the FBI, solve my case, and get the hell back out. I really thought I could do it.

Boy was I ever wrong.

So many things have changed in 10 years. There was a whole team now. Not just a few guys here and there trying to make all the puzzle pieces fit into place. No. There was an honest to goodness "team". A technical analyst, a media liaison, and three of the most brilliant minds I've ever met, all lead by one of the greatest students to ever enter the FBI Academy. Still, I couldn't let that deter me from my goal…to end the nightmares. When I finally saw my chance to make it happen, I pounced on it. I enlisted Garcia's help behind their backs, swearing her to secrecy. I should have known they would all figure it out. I don't know why I was so surprised when they showed up at the hotel bar that night. It took a long time for me to admit that I needed their help, that I couldn't do it alone. And they were right. They helped me finally bring closure to those three children who, 21 years ago, watched their parents die a hideous death. And they helped bring closure to my nightmares.

But something else happened. I realized I couldn't just walk away from these people. I couldn't abandon them as Gideon had done. I still remain a bit distant. I guess I'm afraid they will see right through me; see that my original plan was to leave them. That's one secret I hope they never find out. I would never be able to leave them now. They truly are the only friends I have. I heard a song the other day that really made me stop and think. The line that caught my attention said, "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." Looks like they were right.

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_Supervisory Special Agent_

_David Rossi_

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_**A/N: The song quote at the end is from "Closing Time" by Semisonic**_  
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	6. Spirit

**A/N: It's that time once again! Thanks to all who reviewed/favorited/alerted this little introspection into the lives of our favorite BAU Team. You guys keep me motivated. And I dedicate this one to "Garcia's Angels"...you know who you are, my friends!**

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_**SPIRIT **_

I know! I know! "Mother Hen." Well, somebody has to look out for these people! I mean, seriously, have you seen the bizarrely spooktacular gruesomeness they look at everyday? Somebody has to keep things light and fluffy around here, right? Enter your Grand Master of All Things Happy…Me!

I totally did not get to the FBI by any traditional means. I guess I come from the school of "If you can't beat 'em, hire 'em." That's how I wound up here. After my parents died and I left school, I kept learning and teaching myself about all things computer related. I got so good that the FBI put me on a watch list and when they realized they couldn't beat me, they asked me to come aboard. I was absolutely terrified. I don't exactly fit your typical FBI profile, you know?

And then Derek Morgan came into my life. That man could make me laugh hysterically and make my blood boil at the same time! And I can't help but giggle every time he calls me "baby girl". And then came young Dr. Reid. So shy yet so brilliant. He's so gifted it's scary! I was terrified of Aaron Hotchner. It's the glare. That man can turn serial killers inside out with that glare! But he's such a compassionate man, so much so that it breaks my heart that he never smiles. I've made that one of my daily missions…to make the "Boss-Man" smile at least once a day. And I finally got SISTERS!!! Oh my God, I always wanted sisters! I had four brothers, so finally having some fun loving chicas in my life is…how should I put it…AWESOME to the Nth Degree! JJ and Emily are so passionate about what they do and they're tough enough to survive out there in the "boys club". That makes our girls nights out even more fun. To see them let loose and just be girly…I love it! And there was Gideon, and then Rossi. These guys practically invented their field. They're "The Godfathers" of profiling! How cool is it that my team…my babies get to work side by side with the founding fathers? (Um…don't tell Rossi I said that, ok? He thinks it makes him feel old.)

I have to make sure these awesome people are taken care of. It's not in my job description, but it should be. "Technical Analyst Job Requirements: Mad Computer Skills, Superb Analytical Skills, More Mad Computer Skills, Ninja Quickness when using said Skills, Mother Hen". I have to protect these people, if not from the horrors they see every day, then from their own minds. I have to lighten the mood, make Hotch question my drug status, do whatever it takes to make sure I don't lose another family. I've already lost one family; I'm not about to lose another. That is the only thing that could break the spirit of this always giddy and cheerful Tech Goddess of Quantico.

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_Technical Analyst_

_Penelope Garcia_


	7. Fear

**A/N: Well, my friends, we've come to the end of another journey. Once again, I must thank you all for all the amazing reviews and encouragement! This has been a rewarding experience. And as Hotch is my favorite, I felt I should save the best for last! Personal feelings aside, however, I also felt he should go last because he is the Unit Chief. And only he can wrap things up for me! Therefore, here you go!**

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_**FEAR**_

I never wanted to get close to them. There is so much at stake with what we do. So much can go so fatally wrong so fast. I tried so hard to distance myself, to not get too attached to my team. But when you've been through as much as we've been through together, it's hard to remain detached.

I don't know what I would do if I lost them. Any one of them. I'll never know how Gideon survived it, losing his entire team in a single instant. Sure, he had a nervous breakdown, but he managed to find his way back, even if only for a short time. I honestly don't think I could. I don't know that I'm strong enough to survive that. The only thing that truly frightens me about being Unit Chief is the thought of having to face one of their families: Morgan's mom and sisters, Reid's mom, Will holding JJ's son, or Ambassador Prentiss, and say those dreadful words; "I'm sorry, he/she is dead." The fear that any one of them should die on my watch paralyzes me sometimes. It haunts my nightmares. Not being able to protect them, or save them if they're in trouble… It's why I fight for them as much as I do. It's why I _have_ to be the best at what I do. It's why I always want, no, need to go into a dangerous situation first (despite Morgan sometimes beating me to the punch). If something should happen, if anything were to go wrong, better that it happens to me instead of them.

I always had higher aspirations than the BAU. FBI Director was my ultimate goal. But something happened that I never expected. Something I didn't want to happen. Those six incredibly talented individuals became more than just my responsibility. They became my family. And aside from Jack and Shawn, they are the only family I have left. There is nothing in the world I wouldn't do for these people. I lost my marriage for these people. I would lay down my life for them without a second thought.

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_Supervisory Special Agent_

_Unit Chief_

_Aaron Hotchner_


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